Epic

Today feels like it's lasted longer than any other day in my life. My feet ache, I'm soaking wet, but I feel very happy.

I was up with the lark and on the tube heading south before I'd worked out why I was awake at such a time. I was heading into town to meet my parents and we were going to the Pompeii and Herculanium exhibit at the British Museum, and what a sensational exhibition it is. Everything was decked out in the shape of a Roman villa and filled to the rafters with the most extraordinary artefacts which had been discovered in those tragic towns. Intricate glass vases, items of gold jewellery which shone like the sun, highly-coloured mosaics, extraordinarily erotic wall paintings. Everything took my breath away, in fact, I got rather tired of having to look so carefully at everything!

Of course, close up, it's the bodies which are the most moving things of all. Perhaps it's the knowledge that they are actually plaster casts of the space in earth where bodies had once been made them quite so distressing. Some hold their hands to their faces to protect themselves from the noxious gases and scorching air which killed them.  Those in Herculaneum literally evaporated as the hot air hit them. All died in agony. An entire family was found cowering in an alcove. There are no words.

So, from the British Museum, we went for chips and then wandered around the shops in Covent Garden. I found a jacket I liked. It cost £900. I put the jacket back. 

At 2pm we went to see Nathan in a workshop performance of a new musical, written by the guy who wrote the iconic theme tune to Rainbow. How glorious to be able to say that was you! 

The show was very well performed by the five cast members and very professionally presented, but something of a rough sketch which will need an overhaul if it's to go further. It was great to see Nathan sinking his teeth into a bit of serious acting though, and the 13-year old who played his daughter was remarkable. That's right! My boyfriend now plays fathers! 

We darted away from Covent Garden and hot-footed it, in ghastly rain, to White City for the premier of my film, which had been so beautifully organised by the team at BBC Outreach. There was a red carpet, a fire-eater, canopies, lovely trays of drinks, and the film's contributors were treated like the stars they are. 

The film went down incredibly well. Lots of cheering and clapping and laughter. My family came with Mo... and Philippa. Dear Nathan popped in on his way to his show tonight, which touched me hugely. Helen was there from Newcastle and people in the higher echelons of the BBC said lovely things about my work. Tick. Tick. Tick. I felt proud.